Smile
by ravensbomb
Summary: A quick one shot following key points in Tonraq's life.
**Probending, Round 3, Prompt -** **Birth, Life and Death**

 **Whitefalls Wolfbats, Earthbender**

 _"Enjoy your life today..."_

The Northern Water Tribe was well known for its harsh weather and even harsher citizens. Even decades after the 100 year war, the nation still hadn't truly caught up with its rivals, and continued to lag behind. Unlike the rest of the nations, it still maintained a deep connect to the spirits even when most had long abandoned them.

As a result, the birthing of children in the tribe tended to happen practically outdoors, normally in tents. To be as close to the world and spirits as possible without actually giving the new born children frostbite. They'd be taken outside soon after, wrapped thickly in blankets, to view the northern lights in all their glory, a true a sign as any that spirits were still alive and well in the north. It was said that the brighter the great lights of the sky glowed on an evening of a child's the birth, the more spiritual and gifted that child would be.

For Tonraq, his birth was no such pleasant affair. His mother was in labour for many more hours than was custom, and even when the child's skin finally touched the cold night air, he was still causing his mother and father considerable distress, shrieking and howling into the night. Clearly not a fan of the cold weather. That kind of hostility to the ice didn't bode well for the newborn boy being a waterbender, or having any really affinity for the tribe and its ways.

However, the stars performed in a most peculiar way at this screaming child's birth. Many in the north had never quite seen the skies so bright in all the years they had lived, but they burned for this one. So much so that, that even those in the south had to see it.

 _"Because yesterday has gone..."_

It should've been a blessing, having Korra home again, in their actual home, for the first time in nearly twelve years. Away from the compound, away from the White Lotus, and all the stresses of being the Avatar.

A couple of years ago, Tonraq would've given anything to spend so much time with his daughter, to make up for all that lost childhood and be together.

But not like this.

What he'd always feared would happen when he'd first found out that his child was the Avatar had finally come to fruition in the most horrific way imaginable. Now, Korra was a shell of her former self, both physically and mentally. Tonraq did his best to help with the first part, trying to rebuild Korra's muscles with what little strength she still retained after months of using a wheelchair to get around. The second part was much more complex. Something he didn't really understand...neither he or Senna did, and it drove them to despair.

What if they couldn't bring Korra back? Did they not care for her enough, know her well enough, to understand exactly how to get through to her? Getting her through this emotional rut was by far the greatest challenge Tonraq had faced in his life, forcing him to confront his own failings and shortcomings as Korra's father.

It seemed only Master Katara was making any headway with his daughter, and even that was on a tight rope act. Korra would so easily fall back into old habits of staying in her room for days on end, barely eating, and barely speaking a word. It was days like that which worried Tonraq the most. He hated himself for how often his thoughts drifted to the worst possible place and outcome. What if, one of those mornings when he brought Korra breakfast, he'd find her dead, having ended her own life? That would be an unforgivable failure.

"A couple of your friends were asking about visiting," Senna spoke softly as she helped to guide Korra's wheelchair successfully under the dining table. They'd had to raise the height of it's legs to accommodate for the arm rests on the wheelchair. It was something they'd never mentioned to Korra, though she'd seemed to notice. "Maybe we could take a trip to Republic City, just for a day or so."

"I'm not going to Republic City..." Korra muttered as she chewed on the same piece of bread over and over again, never swallowing. "Not where all those people can see me. All those cameras and reporters. At least here, nobody expects anything from me or of me."

"Nor do they expect it there," Tonraq replied calmly. "Everybody admires what you did for the Air Nation. Respects it."

Korra closed her eyes firmly. "The Avatar cannot be seen as vulnerable." It always came down to the Avatar argument, every single conversation. There was no getting around it. "It doesn't matter who respects me or not. There's plenty of people out there who would take full advantage of me not being around."

"Master Tenzin is-"

"No offence, but Tenzin and the airbenders are not the Avatar," Korra replied bitterly. "There's only so much they can do. I don't want to go back to Republic City right now and that's final. Bad enough when that reporter tried to take a picture at Jinora's ceremony. I'll go when my body is ready, not in a wheelchair."

Cameras had been strictly forbidden from the historical event, but some idiot reporter had sneaked into the temple grounds and tried to take pictures of an injured Avatar, knowing it would instantly sell papers. Tonraq had broken that camera _very_ quickly and tossed it into the bay. He'd nearly punched the reporter on the head for good measure, but Chief Beifong had stopped him at the last second, though she had looked just as happy to hit him.

"You'll get there," Tonraq assured with a grin. "You have a whole team of people behind you, supporting you every step of the way. Just you wait and see, you'll be blasting cameras out of reporter's hands left, right and centre in no time at all."

That did make Korra smile very slightly, an extremely rare occurrence in recent weeks. "Guess airbending is pretty useful for some things."

Tonraq engraved that smile in his mind permanently, getting the distinctive feeling he wouldn't be seeing many more of them in the next few weeks and months. He'd hold onto that smile tightly. For dear life. He'd make it his life line in all this misery, and hopefully in doing that, find a way to bring Korra back to her true self. To produce a lot more of those smiles in the future.

 _"Tomorrow may never come."_

He got his wish about Korra's smiles. It took longer than he'd expected, but his daughter was smiling again. Brightly, eternally, like she'd never, ever stop. Sadly for himself, Tonraq hadn't been her life line, neither had her mother. Korra had pulled herself back from the brink almost entirely on her own, through her own shear willpower and determination. It was demonstrations of that kind of strength of will which highlighted very clearly why Korra was the Avatar.

Now, however, Tonraq's own willpower was wavering. It had been for sometime. Age was both a terrible and wonderful thing. Wisdom certainly came from it. But so did aching bones and sickness. Eventually, the latter had finally caught up with Tonraq after a long spent running from it. Now he had accepted his fate.

Korra held his hand tightly at his bedside, looking all wisdom and fury at the same time. He was also pretty sure his daughter shared a few of those aching bone problems now, though you'd never know. Korra still had a tendency to bounce around like her 21 year old self, maybe even more so, much to her partner's horror and amusement.

"I can't believe you're making jokes at a time like this," Korra muttered with a bitter smile as she pulled at his hand and leaned forward. She really had Senna's eyes. Still mischievous and hopeful all in one glance. "Mom's going to shout at you for that, you know, you're not supposed to laugh so loud in your condition."

"Might as well...get all I'm going to get..." Tonraq replied with a weak smile.

"You're making it sound so final," Korra murmured quietly as she rubbed his wrinkled hands in soothing motions, using some mild firebending to relax any stiff joints and muscles.

Tonraq grabbed her wrist. "You know it is. It happens to all of us eventually."

Korra nodded very hesitantly as she wiped away a stray tear. "I just hate saying it. I hate you saying it. I hate that you're so calm about all this. Why aren't you angry?"

"I could be angry..." Tonraq explained with a slight wheezing cough. "But then who am I going to be angry at? The healers? My own body? Age? When I look at you and your mom, Asami and the grand kids, how could I possibly get mad at any of that? I've had a _very_ good run, Korra, better than most get."

Korra narrowed her brows with a tremble. "Doesn't stop it sucking."

"No, I guess it doesn't," Tonraq chuckled lightly.

"How long did they say you had...?" Korra asked as she tugged at a piece of hair. Her usual reaction to any nervousness. That, or punching something. It tended to be the former these days.

"A few hours, a day maybe," Tonraq sighed contently. He reached up weakly to wipe away another tear in his daughter's eyes. "Do you think our wives will be back from getting tea by then?"

Korra did laugh at that, clearly taken off guard. "I don't think they're that bad for timing." Tonraq raised a sceptical eyebrow. "Okay – they're pretty bad. Not the worst. They probably just got distracted on their way back here. They always get distracted when they're together."

"It's good they get along so well," Tonraq smiled. "I think you'll both need that Sato genius after all this is said and done."

Korra nodded her head slowly in agreement, though she couldn't stop herself from smiling back. That same smile Tonraq had written to memory. He was eternally grateful to have seen it one last time. That he'd been privileged enough to have seen it so many times before today, somehow, after everything.

His family would do well without him, of that he was absolutely sure.

 **End Notes**

Easy - "It happens to us all eventually."

Medium - Taste (Chocolate)

Hard - "Enjoy your life today, because yesterday has gone and tomorrow may never come."

Bonus, Minor character (I'd say Tonraq's pretty minor, but...it could be argued)

word count: 1773


End file.
